


That’s What Friends Are For

by fiona_cat2004



Series: Family Is More Than Blood [6]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Found Family, Friendship, M/M, Surrogacy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:55:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23779507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fiona_cat2004/pseuds/fiona_cat2004
Summary: When there is trouble on Trelor, the fate of Poe and Finn’s unborn child is uncertain. Will Rey be able to save the day?
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Finn
Series: Family Is More Than Blood [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1656739
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	That’s What Friends Are For

**Author's Note:**

> The bit about the beard is in reaction to the photo of Oscar Isaac in the upcoming film Dune ... and John Boyega’s reaction to it. 😁

Finn Dameron was feeling happy. He’d just finished a meeting that had actually been productive and he was heading back to his house to fetch his daughter so they could go to the landing field to welcome home his husband Poe.

“Dada!” Shara cried when Finn walked in the door. She’d recently started walking and she tottered toward him, making it almost all the way across the room before she lost her balance and plopped down on her bum. 

“Hey, baby girl,” he said, scooping her up into his arms. “Ready to go get Papa?”

He turned to Rose Tico, who was picking up the toys that Shara had scattered around the room. “Thanks again, Rose,” he said. “It’ll be easier once Poe’s back. We can take turns working from home so one of us is always with Shara.”

“It’s okay,” Rose said with a laugh. “I like babysitting. It’s a nice change from messing around with machinery all day. And you know I love Shara.”

“Everybody loves Shara,” Finn bragged. It was true. The little girl was the pet of everyone on the base. Now that the First Order had been (mostly) defeated and the Republic was (sort of) back in charge of the galaxy, the members of the Resistance were able to slow down a bit and start thinking about life beyond fighting. And Shara Dameron represented the best of what they had all been fighting for: love and laughter and freedom.

It didn’t hurt that she was absolutely adorable. Finn thought she looked more like Poe, and Poe thought she looked more like Finn, but everyone agreed that she’d won the genetic lottery when the DNA Poe and Finn had contributed combined to create a little girl with skin the color of kaf with a splash of cream, and wild black hair that could never quite be contained. Her brown eyes sparkled with mischief and intelligence, but she could also pull off her Daddy’s fierce glare when she didn’t get her way. She was a hugger, like her Papa, and even the grumpiest, most battle hardened Resistance soldier melted like butter when she wrapped her tiny arms around their leg and begged to be picked up. 

Finn settled her in his arms and carried her outside. The day was pleasant, not too hot, with a light breeze that wafted the scent of flowers from the jungle over the Resistance base. Now that Shara was bigger, Finn and Poe had moved out of their previous quarters into a proper house. It was small, since the Resistance didn’t have a lot of resources, but it was comfortable, and had three bedrooms. One was empty right now, but it wouldn’t be long before Shara had a sibling to occupy it. Sometime this year, they planned to contact Dr. Krklsk on Trelor and have the second embryo brought out of stasis. 

For now, though, it was just the three of them, and that was fine with Finn. He looked forward to welcoming Poe back home; he’d been gone for over three weeks, the longest any of them had been apart since Shara’s birth. It would be good to be together again.

It was not a long walk to the landing field, but it took a while, because Shara pointed at things and people and demanded that Daddy stop and let her see them. Eventually they reached the edge of the landing strip, and settled on the grass to wait for Poe’s transport to land. Finn let Shara toddle around and leaned back on his elbows to watch her. He remembered all the times he’d stood here, waiting for Poe’s X-Wing to land after a mission, and how every time Poe had met him with a hug. _Stars, we were stupid_ , he thought with a wry grin. It had taken them far too long to realize their feelings for each other went light years beyond mere friendship.

Shara found a beetle and brought it to him. It was iridescent blue and green and speckled with gold dots. “Wow, baby, that’s something,” Finn said, taking it gently from her. “But let’s put him back. I bet his family misses him.” He placed the creature on the ground and they watched it crawl away. Then a low rumble started to build in the sky above them, and he pulled her into his lap, pointing up. “Look, Shara, Papa’s ship is coming.”

They watched the bulky transport ship drift out of the sky and lazily settle on the landing field with a series of hisses and clunks. Finn waited until the dust and steam had dissipated before stood up and carried Shara toward the ship. They were halfway there when the hatch opened and the ramp slowly descended. 

Poe was the first one off the ship, trying very hard to walk down the ramp with dignity when it was clear all he wanted to do was run to his husband and daughter. Finn wanted to run to him, as well, but Shara ducked her head against Finn’s shoulder. It was probably because of Poe’s new look: he sported an impressive beard, which quite frankly Finn found incredibly sexy. Shara on the other hand, did not seem to be a fan.

“Hey, babe, nice look,” Finn said when Poe got close enough.

Poe smirked. “Thought you might like it,” he said. “My shaver broke the first day out and I figured, what the hell. It grows so fast and I’ve always wondered what it would look like if I grew it out.” He ran a hand over the beard, and Finn’s heart started beating faster.

“It looks amazing,” Fin said. “Hey, Shara, don’t you think Papa looks good with the beard?” He poked at her to make her look up from his shoulder.

She took one quick look and shook her head. “No Papa,” she cried, her face scrunched up as she prepared to launch into a wail. 

“It is me, baby,” Poe said, reaching out to lay his hand on her back. She squirmed away.

“No!,” she shouted. “No Papa!” She buried her face in Finn’s neck and started to sob. “Dada, no Papa.”

“Guess that’s a ‘no’ vote,” Finn said, rubbing Shara’s back to calm her down. “Shh, it’s okay, baby, Papa will get rid of the beard.”

Poe chuckled. “Her Majesty’s wish is my command,” he said. He ducked in quickly to kiss Finn on the cheek. “I’ll head home and shave, if you want to take her for a little walk around base. Then we can say hello properly.”

“Sounds good,” Finn said. “See you in a bit.” He turned and carried Shara away, still rubbing her back. “Come on, baby girl, let’s go find Auntie Rey and see what she’s up to.”

Shara snuffled and raised her head a tiny bit. “Aun’ Rey?,” she asked.

“Yep,” Finn said. “And maybe we’ll see Uncle Chewie, too.” That cheered her up a bit more. Shara always loved playing with Uncle Chewie.

****************************************  
Poe ran a hand over his newly smooth cheeks and chin. He’d kind of liked the beard. It certainly made his morning routine faster, not having to shave. And from the look on Finn’s face, he’d liked it too. But if Shara was scared of it, it had to go. Maybe when she was older, he could grow it back … 

His attention snapped back to the present as he heard the front door open. He left the ‘fresher and hurried to the living room. “Papa!” Shara cried out, struggling to get out of Finn’s arms. Poe caught her before she fell and hugged her close. “Hey, baby girl,” he said into her hair. “I missed you so much.” He inhaled the sweet scent of the soap she was bathed with every day, something he’d missed desperately. She clung to him as he shifted her enough to be able to see Finn over her curly head.

“I missed you, too,” he said to Finn. “Come here.” He disentangled one arm from Shara and used it to pull Finn in close for a lingering kiss. 

“No!” Shara protested, shoving her hand against their faces. “Papa me!” She pushed Finn out of the way and buried her face in Poe’s neck.

“Well, I see how I rate,” Finn laughed. They moved to the couch, where Poe could cuddle Shara to her heart’s content while half sitting in Finn’s lap.

“Best of both worlds,” Poe said, as he buried his face in Shara’s hair while Finn played idly with his own. “Stars, I missed you both. I’m never going away for that long again. Ever.”

“Yeah, that was kind of a dick move,” Finn murmured in his ear. “Leaving me alone with the kid while you’re off talking to diplomats and politicians and … you know what, I think I got the better end of that deal.”

“Damn right you did,” Poe chuckled. “Give me an X-Wing and a clear target any day over having to skirt around an issue and suck up to people I’d really rather punch in the face.” He sighed. “And they want me to be on the new Senate Oversight Council.”

“That’s big,” Finn said. “Like really big.” He tightened his arms around Poe’s waist. “I’m proud of you, babe.”

“I said they asked me,” Poe said. “I didn’t say I’d accepted.” He turned his head to press a kiss to Finn’s cheek. “It would mean a hell of a lot more work, and moving to Coruscant, which would make running the Resistance harder …”

Finn cut him off by placing a finger over his lips. Which Poe promptly tried to bite. “All of which you can do, and do well. After all, you’ve got me right beside you.” He let Poe nibble on his finger, but pulled it away when he started sucking on it. “Not in front of the kid,” he chided. “Later.”

Poe sighed and leaned back against Finn. “I know, I know, but I told them I’d think about it. I’d like to talk it over with Rey and Connix and a few others. I don’t want to make the wrong decision here.”

“You won’t,” Finn said firmly. “You always make the right decision.”

“Um, like mutiny?” Poe said. “And running spice?”

“Okay,” Finn laughed. “You _usually_ make the right decision. Especially if you let your friends help you make it.” By now, Shara had fallen asleep, her hand fisted in the collar of Poe’s shirt. “What say we put Her Majesty to bed and get back to that thing you were doing with my finger?”

“Now that’s a good decision,” Poe said.

******************************************************  
“So, if Poe joins this Senate Oversight Council, where does that leave you?” Rey asked. She and Finn were having a snack after their daily Jedi meditation session. It was amazing how sitting absolutely still could work up such an appetite.

“Well, I’d still be Second General of the Resistance,” Finn mused. “He’ll be First General, but we’d shift some of his duties and responsibilities to me.”

“Would he have to be on Coruscant a lot?”

“Yeah, most of the time. We’d have to move there.”

“Then how could you effectively run the Resistance?” Rey popped another ming fruit into her mouth. “It’s not like we could move the base to Coruscant; there’s no room for it and even if there was, the Senate wouldn’t look too kindly to having a military force sitting in its backyard.”

Finn scratched his head. “Yeah, it might mean we’d have to be apart more than we’d like,” he admitted. “And there’s Shara to think of. She hasn’t let go of Poe for more than five minutes since he’s come back. Everything is ‘Papa’ right now. She really missed him.”

“So you both go to Coruscant,” Rey said. “Who do you leave in charge here?” Before he could even open his mouth she raised her hand. “And don’t look at me. I’m an independent contractor here.”

“Probably Connix,” Finn said. “We’ve been talking about promoting her for a while. Colonel Connix has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? And we’d probably promote Rose, too. Make her a Lieutenant Colonel or something. Jessica can take over Black Squadron.”

Rey nodded. “Those are all good choices. But will Poe be happy, being a politician or whatever?”

Finn shook his head. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “He feels obligated, and I know he’d be good at it, and I want him to get some recognition from the Republic for everything he’s done … but at the end of the day, he’s a pilot and I know he just wants to fly. And occasionally blow shit up.”

“I’m sure you’d rather he had a safer job than pilot-who-blows-shit-up, though, right?”

“Well, yeah. I don’t want to lose him. Don’t want Shara to lose her Papa.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “Gah, it’s hard to be a supportive husband, you know? I mean, I want him to be happy, but I also don’t want him taking risks. It’s hard to find the balance between the two sometimes.”

“Use the Force,” Rey said solemnly, before dissolving into laughter. Finn shook his head sadly.

“You are such a bad Jedi,” he said. “But a good friend.”

“Aw, thanks,” she said. “Tell Poe if he needs to talk, I’m here.” She stuffed the last of the food into her mouth and rose gracefully to her feet. “I’ve got some stuff to do. See you later.”

Finn watched her walk away before he got up himself, rather less gracefully than she had. He didn’t have time to run the Jedi obstacle course every day like she did, and so far most of his Force training had been concentrated on the mental aspects. Which was fine with him, as he didn’t intend to become a Jedi Knight. Like Leia, he was happy just getting in tune with his ability, and using it to help him do his job to the best of his abilities.

“Use the Force,” he scoffed. “That line was old when Luke Skywalker was a baby.” He thought he felt a light smack on the back of his head, but he probably just imagined it. 

********************************************  
Poe was two hours into a holographic conference call with some of the other prospective members of the Senate Oversight Council when Finn burst into the room. “Sorry, sorry, General, but we … have a situation.” The look on his face was enough for Poe to immediately make his apologies to the others and terminate his link.

“What is it?,” he asked, ready for anything.

“It’s Trelor,” Finn said. “They’ve been attacked by Black Sun operatives. Lots of them.”

“Shit,” Poe said, starting to get up from his chair. “Scramble the squadrons …”

Finn waved his hand. “It’s okay, the Republic has already sent several squadrons and they’ll let us know if they need backup. Black and Red Squadrons are on standby and they’ll be in the air three minutes after we get any word from the Republic. But that’s not the real issue.” He sat down beside Poe and took his hand. “It’s … Black Sun targeted civilian sites, trying to disrupt the economy and frighten the Trelorians. One of their main targets was the reproductive centers.”

Poe felt his blood run cold. “The baby?,” he asked, not sure he wanted to hear the answer.

“Okay, for now,” Finn said, and Poe let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “But Doctor Krklsk said they had to take the embryo out of stasis when they evacuated the building, and it can’t stay out of stasis for too long. We need to start gestation soon … and most of the growth chambers have either been damaged or are already in use. He’s bringing it here, and Dr. Kalonia is already trying to figure out how to create a growth chamber here, but she might not be able to get one ready in time. We just don’t have the same level of technology in that area.”

“So what happens if she can’t figure it out?”

“I don’t know, babe,” Finn admitted. “We … we might lose the baby.”

Poe grabbed Finn and pulled him into a tight embrace. “We won’t lose it,” he said fervently. “I won’t believe it. Dr. Krklsk and Dr. Kalonia will figure it out. They’re smart.” He knew he was whistling into the wind, but he didn’t want Finn to lose hope.

Three hours later, they met Dr. Krklsk on the landing field. Rose was babysitting Shara, but Rey was with them, as was Dr. Kalonia. “I am so very sorry to be meeting again under these circumstances,” Krklsk said. They were carrying a small white container.

“Is .. is that …,” Poe couldn’t finish the sentence.

“Yes,” Krklsk said. “Your child to be.” They carefully handed the container over to Dr. Kalonia. “I will give you all the assistance you need in setting up a proper growth chamber.”

Kalonia nodded. “Let’s get to the medbay, then,” she said. “I don’t know if the equipment I have can be refitted in time, or at all, but we’ve got several fast freighters ready to fly off for any parts you might need.”

Poe, Finn, and Rey trailed behind the two doctors, who were already discussing technical details. Rey stepped between them and slipped a hand into each of theirs, squeezing tight. “Hey,” she said softly. “It’s gonna be okay. I can feel it.”

“Thanks, Rey,” Finn said, “but you don’t have to say that.”

“It’s true,” she insisted. “I’m not sure exactly how or why, but I know this kid is going to be just fine.”

Poe bumped his shoulder against hers. “I hope you’re right, Auntie Rey,” he said. She made a face at him, but bumped him back. 

They sat in the waiting area of the medbay for nearly three more hours. Rose commed several times to give them updates on Shara’s day. She’d had a bath, played ball with Chewie while Rose fixed her lunch, and was now taking a nap. Finally, Dr. Kalonia came out of her office, where she had been huddled with Krklsk, her face grim.

“Okay, good news, the embryo is in good shape, and should be fine for a few more days,” she said. “Bad news, our technology isn’t up to the task. I thought maybe we could retrofit a bacta tank, but gestation is a lot more complicated than healing an already mature body. I’m afraid that without the Trelorian growth chamber, our only option is a surrogate.”

“A surrogate?” Finn asked.

“Yes,” Kalonia said. “We’d have to find a human female who’s willing to carry the baby for you. Usually, we line these things up long in advance, give the woman fertility treatments to prepare her body for the embryo, wait until the ideal time to implant.” Kalonia sighed. “Even if we can get a surrogate on such short notice, it’s a bit of a long shot.”

Poe dropped his head into his hands. Finn placed a hand on his back. “It’s okay, babe,” he said quietly. “There’s still a chance.”

“Yeah,” Poe said, “ _if_ we can find a surrogate, _if_ her body will accept the implantation, _if_ a million little things go right ….” He choked back a sob. Stars, he hadn’t realized how badly he wanted this child.

“I’ll do it.”

Poe and Finn both sat up, turning toward Rey, who was sitting serenely in her chair. “I’ll do it,” she repeated. “It’ll work. I can feel it.” She smiled at them, then turned to Dr. Kalonia. “What do I have to do?”

Kalonia raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure, Rey? This is a huge undertaking. Months of discomfort, morning sickness, swollen ankles, hemorrhoids, heartburn, back aches … not to mention the pain of childbirth.”

“I’m sure,” Rey said. “This is the only way to see this child born, and it’s only a few months out of my life. I owe these two that much, at least.” She looked fondly at Poe and Finn.

“Rey …,” Poe said, “I swear, if you do this, I’ll never, ever tease you about anything ever again. I’ll even forgive Kylo Ren.” She shook her head, coming over to kneel in front of him. 

“You’ll forgive him when you’re ready to forgive him,” she said. “And even if you never do, I still want to do this for you. For you and Finn. And I kind of like your teasing. Makes me feel like I’m part of a family, you know?”

“You are,” Finn said, grabbing her hand. “You’ve always been part of the family. Now you’ll just be an even bigger part.”

********************************************  
By the end of the week, it was done. Rey had spent several days in the medbay, having her hormones monitored and manipulated, before the doctors implanted the embryo in her womb. Now she was confined to the medbay, hooked up to a thousand monitors, to make sure her body wasn’t going to reject the new addition. It was frustrating for her to be stuck in bed; she was so used to _doing_ things. But she used the time to focus on her meditation practices, and she was able to have a few good conversations with Leia, who had commended her for her selflessness while also chiding her for being an idiot to go through a pregnancy that wasn’t even hers. It was a gentle chiding, though; she knew Leia understood why she was doing it, and she also knew how fond Leia was of Poe. With Ben’s death, Leia had lost all chance at having a grandchild of her own, but Poe’s kids were a good substitute.

Finn and Poe visited her every single day, as did Rose, Connix, Chewie, BB-8, and at least one member of Black Squadron. Her best visitor was Shara, who sometimes accompanied her fathers, and then came back again with Chewie or Rose. Finn brought her the best snacks from the mess hall, and Poe brought her little bits of technology to tinker with, which helped her pass the time.

Finally, both doctors and her own Force sensitivity agreed that the baby was happily growing in its new home and it was safe for her to leave the medbay. 

“No running the Jedi obstacle course,” Dr. Kalonia said firmly. 

“Yes, ma’am,” Rey said. She missed her daily exercise regimen but agreed that it was far too strenuous for her now. Besides, she knew Finn and Poe would both sit on her if she even thought of doing anything that could possibly endanger their baby.

When she was released from the medbay, the Damerons insisted she move into the spare room at their house, which would eventually belong to the baby. She tried to convince them that the _Falcon_ was very comfortable, and had almost convinced Finn to let her go back, but Poe put his foot down. “No,” he said. “My dad would kill me if he knew I let a pregnant woman sleep in a crappy bunk on a freighter. Especially one who was carrying his grandchild.” Not willing to face an upset Kes (mostly for fear he would stop cooking her favorite desserts for her), Rey gave up and moved in.

Shara was thrilled. Now she had Daddy, Papa, _and_ Auntie Rey right there, every day. At least one of them was home with her at any given time and she ate up the attention. Rey suspected one of the reasons the boys (as she still thought of them, even though they were Generals and married men and fathers) had asked her to move in was to avail themselves of free babysitting services. Not that she hadn’t done her share of sitting before, but they seemed to be having a few more “date nights” than usual, now that she was conveniently there.

The months went by. Poe negotiated the terms of his membership in the Senate Oversight Council. Fortunately, he wasn’t the only one with additional obligations, and it was decided that the Council would only have to physically meet once or twice a year, with the rest of the meetings conducted virtually. Finn started taking over some of Poe’s responsibilities, with the able assistance of the newly promoted Major Connix. Rey studied her Jedi texts, meditated, and watched her belly grow.

It was a strange feeling, having another living being inside her body. She could feel the baby through the Force as well as physically, and quite frankly was better able to monitor its growth and progress than Dr. Kalonia with all her fancy scanners. All she had to do was close her eyes and the image of the baby would appear in her mind, floating before her, growing bigger every day. One morning, she woke up just _knowing_ it was a boy, and she wondered whether to tell the Damerons.

She joined them at the table for breakfast as usual. Poe wasn’t quite as good a cook as his father, but he was a close second. Rey’s appetite was even more epic than usual now that she was eating for two, and Poe had made a huge stack of pancakes that was almost as tall as Shara.

“Morning,” Finn said, pulling out a chair for her. 

“Mo nin,” Shara said around a mouthful of pancake.

“Good morning,” Poe said, sliding a fresh hot pancake onto her plate. “Sleep well?”

“Very well, thanks,” Rey said. The pancake smelled amazing and she slathered it with butter and syrup. She could approach the subject after she’d had her breakfast. She worked her way through a good portion of the stack of pancakes before she finally felt full. Finn raised an eyebrow. 

“I think that’s a new record,” he said.

She shrugged. “Poe makes good pancakes.” She shifted in her chair, trying to find a position that didn’t make her back ache, which was nearly impossible these days. “So, I have something to tell you guys, but I don’t know if you want to know it or not.”

“What?” Poe asked warily. She saw the fear in his eyes and reached out to lay her hand reassuringly on his. 

“Nothing’s wrong,” she said. “I just … I know the gender of the baby now. I felt it in the Force. Do you want to know ahead of time, or do you want to be surprised like you were with Shara?”

“Tell us,” said Poe at the same time that Finn said, “Surprised.” They looked at each other.

“Wait, you don’t want to know?” Poe said.

“Not really,” Finn said with a shrug. “It was kind of nice not knowing until Shara arrived. But if you really want to know …”

“No, no,” Poe said. “If you want to wait …”

“Babe, I know how it drives you crazy when someone knows something you don’t,” Finn said. “Rey, go ahead, tell us.”

“Are you sure?,” she asked. She didn’t want to cause any strife between them.

“Yeah,” Finn said. “It’ll still be a surprise to see what he or she looks like. And like I said, it’ll drive Poe nuts if you have a secret he’s not in on. Trust me.”

Poe made a face, but nodded. “He’s right. Go ahead.”

She took a deep breath. “Okay. It’s … a boy.”

It took a moment for the information to sink in, but soon both men had stupid grins on their faces. “Hear that, Shara,” Poe said. “You’re going to have a little brother.”

Shara was unimpressed. She wanted to get down and start playing. Finn laughed. “Well, that went well,” he said, wiping off her sticky hands before lifting her out of her high chair and setting her on the floor.

“A boy,” Poe said contentedly. “I was kind of hoping for one of each.” He reached over and squeezed Finn’s hand.

“Yeah, me, too,” Finn replied, his eyes soft.

“Um, I’m going to go play with Shara,” Rey said. “In the other room. So you two can be alone. And so I don’t lose my breakfast over this disgusting display of affection.”

Poe tossed a napkin at her and Finn stuck his tongue out. Rey laughed. This was as close to having brothers as she’d ever get, and she hoped Shara’s relationship with her brother was half as good. She heaved herself up from her chair with a grunt and headed after Shara. _Just a few more months_ , she reminded herself.

*********************************  
“So, I’ve been thinking,” Finn said over lunch one day. Rey didn’t leave the house much now that she was — well, he would never say it to her face, but she was as big as a house. The generals took turns coming home to have lunch with her and Shara, since their schedules rarely gave them a midday break at the same time anymore.

“Thinking is good,” Rey said around a huge bite of sandwich. It was her third.

“The baby’s going to be here soon, and we have to start thinking of names.”

“You aren’t going to wait until he’s born and use your amazing Jedi Force powers to divine his name, like you did with Shara?,” she teased.

Finn shook his head. “That wasn’t the Force, that was just common sense. What else could we name her? The galaxy needed a Shara Dameron in it to maintain the balance.” He tousled Shara’s crazy hair. She ignored him, more interested in her berries than in Daddy’s silliness.

“But we already have a Kes,” he went on, “and I’d kind of like to name him after someone who’s gone, you know? Poe and I have tossed a few things around, but nothing seems quite right. Luke … nah, we really didn’t know him that well. Han … I think Leia might have liked that, but Han Dameron just doesn’t roll off the tongue.”

Rey swallowed and sat her sandwich down. _Uh, oh, she’s stopped eating_ , Finn thought. _This is serious_.

“Um, well … I’m not sure how Poe would feel about it, but … have you considered the name Ben?” She wouldn’t look him in the eye, but he could tell she was nervous, something that Rey Skywalker very rarely was.

“Ben Dameron,” Finn said. “Hmm … I actually kind of like it. And Ben Solo was named after Obi-Wan Kenobi, wasn’t he? So it’s kind of a three generation thing.” He pondered it. Somehow, it felt right. “I’ll mention it to Poe, but no guarantees.”

Rey looked up sheepishly. “Tell him it would mean a lot to me,” she said softly. “I … I’ve been talking to him a lot lately — Ben, I mean — and, well, this is probably my only chance to be anything close to a mother. Not that I want to be a mother, Jedi don't have time to be parents, Anakin Skywalker made that abundantly clear …”

Finn hushed her with a hand on her arm. “You don’t have to explain,” he said. “I get it. And I’ll talk to Poe. Besides, we really owe you one for doing this, so the least we can do is let you pick the name, right?”

“What did I ever do to deserve a friend like you?” She leaned her head onto his shoulder.

“You were just in the right place at the right time,” Finn said. “Jakku has a way of bringing people together. It’s highly underrated.”

*********************************  
“Seriously?,” Poe said, running his hand through his hair. “You seriously expect me to name my son after a man who tortured me?”

“It was just a suggestion,” Finn said soothingly. “And technically it was Kylo Ren who tortured you, and there’s no way in hell our son’s going to be named Kylo. But Ben … that was his name when he was a little kid, and he was named after one of the most famous Jedi, the man who started Luke Skywalker’s training. See, Ben Kenobi trained Luke, and then Luke trained Rey, and Rey is training me. So he’s kind of a spiritual grandfather to Rey, and great-grandfather to me. And I don’t have any family to name him after.”

Poe closed his eyes. “This means a lot to you, doesn’t it?,” he asked carefully. 

“Yeah, somehow it does,” Finn admitted. “It means a lot to Rey, and she means a lot to me, and … I’ve been thinking about family a lot lately. You and Rey and Dad and Shara and the new kid … you’re all I’ve got. You had your mom, and your grandfather, and I know you’ve got cousins or second cousins or something out there. As far as I know, I’m all that’s left of my family, and I definitely don’t have any family history to go by. The Force connects me to the Jedi, even though I don’t intend to become one. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, I think I do,” Poe said. He wrapped his arms around his husband and kissed his neck. “And I think Ben Dameron is a damn fine name. In fact, I think I might have had a great-uncle or something named Ben somewhere in the family tree. So, yeah, yeah.” He nodded his head. “Ben it is.”

******************************************  
If Rey hadn’t had the Force to rely on, she would have cursed Poe and Finn out for putting her through this. She’d been injured many times — hell, she’d even died on Exegol — but that was nothing compared to the sheer pain and inelegance of childbirth. She used all her meditation skills to focus her attention away from the pain, but it was still an ordeal. 

“Come on, Ben,” she muttered to the baby inside her. “It’s time to come out and meet your fathers.” Stubbornly, he replied (in as much as a pre-verbal child could reply) that he was very comfortable in here, thank you very much, and he wasn’t ready. ‘Well, I’m more than ready,” she said. She nudged him with the Force. _You want to be born. You’re very happy to be born_.

Finally, it was over. Ben was here, and handed over to his fathers, and Rey was being pumped full of pain killers. “I am never, ever doing that again,” she slurred. “Just so you know.”

Finn kissed her forehead. “I know, sis,” he said. “Thanks.”

Poe was entranced by Ben, but still managed to drag his focus onto her. “Yeah, thanks, Rey,” he said, sincerely. He kissed her cheek and smoothed the sweaty hair off her face. 

“Ah, go on,” she said, her eyes drooping. “Go show Kes his grandson. Don’t worry about me. Dr. Kalonia’s giving me the good stuff.” She smiled and drifted off to sleep.

*************************************************  
Kes and Shara were waiting outside the room. “Here he is,” Poe said. “Shara, this is your brother, Ben.” He squatted down so that Shara could see the baby in his arms. She seemed dubious.

Finn joined Poe on the floor. “You’re gonna be the best big sister ever,” he told Shara. “You’re gonna teach him everything.”

She tentatively reached out to touch Ben’s face. “Ben,” she said carefully. They’d been practicing the name for the past few weeks to get her used to it. “My Ben?”

“Yes, baby, your Ben. Your brother,” Poe said.

Finn started laughing suddenly, and Poe gave him a sideways look. “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, I was just thinking about the look on Connix’s face when she realizes there’s _another_ Dameron on base,” Finn said. 

Poe snorted at that. “Yeah, she’s not gonna be happy about that,” he said. “Maybe it’s time we gave her another promotion.”

“At this rate, just make her General and turn the whole Resistance over to her,” Kes said. He clearly meant it as a joke, but Poe raised his eyebrows at Finn, who nodded thoughtfully.

“Not a bad idea, Dad,” Poe said. “Maybe it’s time Finn and I retire from active duty.” He looked down at his son’s face. “Maybe it’s time to just be Papa and Daddy for a while.”

“Yes,” said Shara, firmly. She didn’t say yes often, being much fonder of the word “no,” so when she did, they listened.

“As Her Majesty commands,” said Finn.


End file.
